Egg Hunt
by Trish47
Summary: Annie brings Auggie over for Easter dinner and Katia ropes him in to a modified egg hunt. Family fluff with a bit of romance and humor. Oneshot. Happy Spring!


**Had an random idea last night and this is what became of it. I really enjoy writing the fluffy pieces (especially after all the angst I write for "Robbed"). So here's a short piece for Easter. Happy Spring!**

**Note: I'm not sure if the egg hunt is actually plausible. I got the idea from an episode of "Survivor." Haha.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs or the characters that you recognize. The others are mine. All mine. ;)**

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><p><em>Egg Hunt<em>

The lawn outside the Brooks' home is decorated with a giant blow-up Easter bunny and oversized colored eggs. Annie pulls into the driveway behind a white Lincoln Town Car, puts the car in park, and cuts off the engine.

"Thanks for being my wingman today," she says, grabbing her purse from the backseat and digging for her lip gloss. As she swipes on a fresh coat, she adds, "Mom and Dad can be worse than Danielle when it comes to matchmaking. It's just easier this way."

"No problem," he responds with a grin. "I'm getting food out of it. Plus, I owe you one anyway."

Annie steps out of the car and cocks her head to the side in thought. "You do? For what?"

"For getting me away from Loudmouth Lori at Allen's," he says as he shuts the passenger-side door and waits for her to guide him to the house.

A laugh bubbles up in her chest at the appropriate nickname. "That woman just won't learn to take 'no' for an answer."

"I'm starting to think we may need to find a new haunt. She's there _every_ time, waiting to pounce and sink her claws into me."

"Aw, Auggie has a stalker," she teases as he grips her elbow lightly.

"Not funny, Walker. That woman has it out for me."

"She just wants to jump your bones."

Auggie groans. "My point exactly."

In lieu of patting his hand in sympathy, Annie leans her head on his shoulder as they walk up to the house. "Don't worry. I got your back. Anytime you need me to play the jealous girlfriend, I'm there. It's not like it's a hard part to play."

"You're too good to me," he says.

"You might rethink that after you meet my parents," Annie says as they pause at the front door. She takes a moment to smooth her hair and straighten Auggie's striped tie. "They're good people, but they can be hard to win over. You ready?"

Instead of reaching for her elbow again, his hand slides across the small of her back until his arm is wrapped around her waist. "Yes, dear."

Annie smiles and cringes at the same time. "Take it easy on the endearments."

His laughter announces them as they enter the house.

"Hello?" Danielle's voice calls distantly from the kitchen.

"It's us," Annie responds loudly, advancing toward the kitchen with Auggie striding beside her, arm still secured at the top of her hip. They've never walked like this before, but Annie likes how the weight of his hand at the curve of her hip feels perfectly natural.

Halfway to the back of the house, they are intercepted by the girls. Judging by the way they skip down the hallway, she'd say they've already ingested a good portion of their Easter candy. Their pastel dresses and white Mary Janes are clearly gifts from their grandmother; Danielle is not one for tradition and would gladly let her daughters wear jeans and sneakers if they wanted to. Their grandmother, on the other hand, believes in looking prim and proper on religious holidays. Annie adjusts her own flower-printed skirt as she bends down to hug her nieces.

"We're going to have an egg hunt before dinner!" Katia says excitedly, her frizzy pin-curls bouncing along with her energy. She tugs on Auggie's shirt cuff. "Won't you come look for them with us? Please, please, please?"

Annie frowns slightly, but before she can explain that Auggie's disability prevents him from doing certain things, Chloe pulls her sister away and whispers loudly into her ear, "He can't, Kat. He can't see the eggs."

"But—"

"Shh."

Chloe certainly resembles her mother, in appearance and demeanor. Annie remembers moments when her older sister told her to shut-up before she got them both into trouble. Of course, those warnings often went unheeded and unappreciated until much later.

She glances up to see Auggie's reaction, wondering if he'll add any kind of explanation. A smile rests uneasily on his lips and she can see a hint of sadness in his eyes, but only she can read these subtle clues. All the girls see is a warm smile.

He bends down to Katia's level and says, "I'd really love to search for eggs with you, sweetie, but I think I'm going to sit this one out."

"But. . ." Katia's bottom lip quivers slightly. Crocodile tears come into her eyes and she looks to her sister for help.

"C'mon," Chloe says, "don't be a baby about it. It's not his fault."

Katia's pout deepens at what she must take as her sister's betrayal. She pushes her way between the adults and her older sister, stomping off toward the kitchen. "Mom!"

"Kat," Chloe calls after her, turning and trotting after her sister. Katia's pace picks up when she realizes she's being pursued until both girls are running full speed toward the kitchen. They know that whoever makes her case to Danielle first will have an increased probability of getting their way.

"Don't run in the house, girls," a firm voice chides. In another moment, Caroline Walker rounds the corner, decked out in a pale lilac church dress that dates back to the late eighties but, like all other things owned by her mother, is still in pristine condition. "Anne, honey, I didn't hear you come in."

"Hi, Mom," Annie says as she steps in to her mother's embrace. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh, Rich is cutting the ham. You know your father. He couldn't let Michael handle it by himself."

Her mother smells like Georgia peaches and musk. A few more wrinkles have taken up residence in the corners of her eyes and her laugh lines are more pronounced than they were at Christmas. The small differences make Annie wish that her parents didn't live all the way in New Orleans, that she could see them more often and catalog every event and every joke that creates a new line on her mother's face.

When they break apart, Annie steps back to Auggie's side. She lays a hand on his chest, going along with the plan she and Danielle agreed on: to pretend Auggie is her boyfriend so Caroline won't push her friends' sons on her like she did at Christmas. Her mother means well, but Annie doesn't feel she needs help finding a man.

"Mom, this is Augg—uh, August Anderson. We work together."

Caroline gives Auggie an assessing once-over before taking his outstretched hand. She eyes her daughter knowingly. "I'll presume you do more than work together."

Annie's sure that she blushes, even though she knows that nothing has happened between herself and Auggie other than some shameless flirting. It's not exactly a new assumption her mother is making. Even at the DPD, she and Auggie are often the subject of office gossip, though they don't do anything to quell the rumors. If anything, they egg them on.

"Your daughter is a wonderful, intelligent woman, Mrs. Walker," Auggie says, putting on the charm. "I can only imagine that she gets it from her mother."

Caroline smirks and pats the top of Auggie's hand with her own. She bobs her head in Annie's direction, smiling with her eyes as she says, "This one's good."

Her mother approves. Thank goodness. Annie leans into Auggie's side a little more and turns her head up to his face. "Yeah, I think I'll keep him around."

He tilts his head down in response to her voice. "I'll be here as long as you want me."

Just when she thinks he's laying it on a little thick, Auggie's lips close the short distance between them and press against her mouth. The kiss is light, nothing more than a peck between lovers, but the surprise of it takes her breath away.

While Annie regains her composure, Katia comes running back into the hallway. She slows her approach when Caroline clears her throat to chide her for rushing. Chloe follows behind at a brisk trot, looking defeated. Apparently Katia won the previous race.

"The egg hunt is ready! Can we do it yet?" Katia asks, a twinkle in her eyes. It seems like she's excited for more than just an egg hunt. Her youngest niece is up to something.

"Mom wants everyone in the backyard," Chloe adds.

"Let's go then," Caroline says warmly, taking her granddaughters in hand and leading them toward the patio off the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Annie asks.

"You lead. I follow," Auggie responds.

They pass through the kitchen, stopping briefly so Annie can introduce Auggie to her father. Things go well, but Annie hadn't expected any problems with gaining her father's approval of her fake boyfriend. It's only her mother that poses any real challenge, and Auggie won her over in record time. That shouldn't come as a surprise either, she realizes.

On the back patio, it doesn't take very long to figure out what Katia had up her sleeve.

"Mr. Auggie, we changed the game!" Katia she nearly shouts. "You can hunt for eggs too."

Auggie doesn't have to act to look confused. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Danielle comes out onto the patio with two of Michael's ties in hand. She says, "We're going to do things a little differently this year."

Handing a tie to Michael for Chloe and covering Katia's eyes with the other, Danielle explains the new version of the Brooks' annual egg hunt. "One partner calls out directions, and the one with the blindfold follows the instructions until they find the eggs. The eggs are scattered all over the yard, but they aren't hidden. You up to it, Auggie?"

"Please, please, please?" Katia adds, jumping in place as Danielle tries to fasten the tie around her small head.

Again, Auggie kneels down in front of the youngest of the Brooks clan. "Did you do this for me?" he asks softly.

Katia nods, foiling Danielle's attempts to secure the makeshift blindfold once more.

He finds her small hand and kisses the back of it. "That is one of the sweetest things someone has ever done for me," he tells her. "You're as thoughtful as your aunt."

Annie can't stop the smile from spreading across her face. Every time he's interacted with her nieces she's seen a different side of him, a softer side. August Anderson is a package deal: intelligent, funny, and sensitive. He's not too bad on the eyes either, Annie thinks.

"So, you'll hunt eggs with us?" Katia asks.

"I'd love to hunt eggs with you," he says and stands up. Then he finds and holds Annie's hand up in the air. "Can I call dibs on my partner?"

Her heart actually flutters when he turns his smile on her. "I'm yours."

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><p>"We really kicked some butt today," Annie says as they walk out to her car in the early twilight.<p>

"I'm not sure if we should be proud of beating two kids at an egg hunt," he responds, laughing. His hand is around her waist again, even though they don't have to keep up the pretense of being together anymore. Caroline and Rich left after dinner for an evening Mass.

"Hey, I was just competing against Dani and Michael," Annie says in her defense. "I was a better instruction giver."

"Maybe I'm just a better listener," he counters.

She laughs because he's probably right. Katia and Chloe weren't the best at following the directions their parents called out to them. "Yeah, maybe."

They stop at the car, but Auggie doesn't let go of her.

"Tonight was really nice, Annie. Thanks for inviting me along."

"And thanks for making my parents love you," she says, sincere but also slightly teasing. "I don't know how I'm going to find a guy they'll like half as much as you."

A hint of regret colors her joke because it's true. More importantly, she's not sure if _she'll_ ever find someone she likes half as much as she likes Auggie right now. For the past few months she's been toying with the idea of their friendship turning into something more, but she's never acted on it.

Just like he always does, Auggie picks up on the undertone in her voice.

"Well, you have until Christmas at least," he says, bringing his hand up to her arms and rubbing away the slight chill of the late April air. "And, if you don't find anyone, you'll always have me as a backup."

This time it's Annie who picks up on his subdued tone. She doesn't know how the casual conversation between them has turned into something deeper. She's scared of where it may lead, but she's also curious to know more.

Her arms circle around his torso without much thought. She wants to bury her question into the fabric of his collared shirt. She's a little afraid of his answer.

"Why'd you kiss me tonight?"

Her question doesn't rattle him, but Auggie also doesn't answer immediately. He runs his hands over her hair, up and down her back, biding his time before he responds.

"Because I wanted to," he confesses in a low voice. "Because I've wanted to for a while now. You're not mad, are you?"

She pulls back and looks up into his eyes. The worry lines on his face make her smile.

"I'll only be mad if you don't do it again," she says.

It takes a moment for her words to run through his processor. The slow grin that lifts the corner of his mouth sends a rush of adrenaline through her system.

Auggie doesn't have to say anything else. He just lowers his mouth to hers and gives her what she wants.

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><p><strong>Please review. :)<br>**


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